Zoho Books is our top QuickBooks alternative because of its scalability and mobile app functionality. Wave is second on our list as it has a free plan that provides sufficient support for businesses with basic bookkeeping needs. If you don’t need full bookkeeping software and are looking for the best QuickBooks alternative for sending invoices, we also have recommendations for that.
The best QuickBooks alternatives for small businesses are as follows:
- Zoho Books: Overall best QuickBooks alternative with an outstanding mobile app
- Wave: Best free QuickBooks alternative
- FreshBooks: Best for service-based freelancers
- Xero: Best for unlimited users and managing fixed assets
- Sage 50: Best QuickBooks Desktop alternative for multicompany accounting
- QuickBooks Solopreneur: Best for tracking expenses for Schedule C
Jump to our QuickBooks Invoicing Alternatives if you’re mostly interested in invoicing.
I have several years of experience in accounting software evaluation and providing small businesses with reliable, expert insights. Leveraging my accounting and bookkeeping expertise, I rigorously assess software using our internal case study that objectively scores key features while upholding editorial independence.
My commitment is to deliver accurate, clear, and authoritative answers in line with our Fit Small Business Editorial Policy.
Best QuickBooks Alternatives at a Glance
Monthly Pricing | Number of Users | Inventory | Banking | Project Accounting | Network of Experts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | $35 to $235 | 1 to 25 | 4.88★ | 5.00★ | 4.25★ | QuickBooks ProAdvisors |
 | $0 to $275 | 5.00★ | 4.55★ | 4.63★ | Zoho Books Advisors | |
 | Free or $16 | 1 or Unlimited | 1.63★ | 2.58★ | N/A | Wave Advisors |
 | $19 to $60 or custom priced | 0.75★ | 2.88★ | 4.50★ | N/A | |
 | $20 to $80 | Unlimited | 4.88★ | 4.55★ | 5.00★ | Xero Advisors |
 | $58.92 to $409.17 or custom | 1 to 10 | 4.38★ | 4.05★ | 5.00★ | N/A |
| $20 | 1 | N/A | 2.40★ | N/A | QuickBooks ProAdvisors |
Rating Explanation: 5.00-4.50★: Excellent; 4.49-3.50★: Very Good; 3.49-2.50★: Fair; 2.49-1.50★: Poor; 1.49-0.00★: Very Poor | ||||||
See how QuickBooks stacks up against other accounting software providers by reading our guides:
Best QuickBooks Alternatives
Zoho Books: Best Overall QuickBooks Alternative With an Outstanding Mobile App
Pros
- Has a free version for users with less than $50,000 in annual revenues
- Offers scalable pricing plans
- Has an excellent mobile app
- Has a dedicated portal for customers to view and settle invoices
Cons
- Charges an additional fee for more users beyond plan limit
- Only offers project accounting and inventory management in lower plans
- Doesn’t have billing payment features in the Free and Standard plans
- Has limited invoices, expenses, and bills across all plans
- Free: Includes one user plus one accountant and up to 1,000 invoices per year for businesses with less than $50,000 in annual revenues
- Standard: $20 per month for up to three users and 5,000 invoices
- Professional: $50 per month for up to five users and unlimited invoices
- Premium: $70 per month for up to 10 users and unlimited invoices
- Elite: $150 per month for up to 10 users and unlimited invoices
- Ultimate: $275 per month for up to 15 users and unlimited invoices
Free trial: 14 days for any paid plan
Add-ons:
- Additional users: $3 per user, per month
- Receipt scanning: $10 for 50 scans per month
- Warehouses: $9 per warehouse, per month (Elite and Ultimate plan only)
Zoho Books leads our roundup of the best QuickBooks alternatives because it is similar to QuickBooks Online but has a more functional mobile app. Among its many useful features are the ability to receive payments, send invoices, record time worked, capture expense receipts, and view reports from your mobile app.
It also has a flexible pricing model ideal for scalability and growth. Unlike QuickBooks Online, if you think a certain Zoho Books plan’s features are enough for your needs, you don’t need to upgrade to get more users. Instead, you can pay for additional seats at an affordable price of $3 per user, per month.
In our evaluation, Zoho Books aced our mobile app and integrations categories and also scored high for its available reports. It also took a slight lead over QuickBooks Online in pricing. Zoho Books offers more plans and is more scalable than QuickBooks Online.
Also, although Zoho Books offers a 14-day free trial, it doesn’t offer a discount for new customers. QuickBooks, in contrast, offers a choice of a 30-day free trial or 50% off for the first three months. Zoho Books also didn’t score as well for its customer support, mainly because it offers only email support for Free users, requiring you to upgrade to a paid plan for all forms of customer support. If you want several customer support options, including phone, email, live chat, and chatbot, go with QuickBooks Online.
Additionally, because Zoho Books is a complicated program with some features that are hidden within each other, it can be difficult to navigate, so it lost points for ease of setup and use. Although there may be a learning curve for some users, QuickBooks Online is relatively easy to use.
Wave: Best Free QuickBooks Alternative
Pros
- Provides a comprehensive free plan for a single user
- Offers straightforward setup
- Allows easy creation and tracking of unpaid bills and invoices
- Captures and scans expense receipts in the free version for an additional fee
- Enables uploading bank statements in the free plan
Cons
- Supports only one user in the free plan
- Doesn’t allow bank account connections in the free version
- Is not ideal for businesses with complex accounting needs, such as inventory tracking, project accounting, or separating expenses by class or location
- Lacks live customer support in the free plan
Wave offers two plans:
- Starter: Free for one user and has most accounting features including invoicing
- Pro: $16 per month for unlimited users and includes unlimited bank connections, receipt scanning, and live customer support
Add-ons:
- Receipt scanning (included in the Pro plan): Receipt scanning through its mobile app for $8 per month or $72 per year
- Wave Advisors: Bookkeeping support for $149 per month
Wave Payroll: Assisted payroll services for $40 per month for tax service states and $20 per month for self-service states (read our review of Wave Payroll)
We chose Wave for sole proprietors wanting a free option for basic accounting needs such as categorizing expenses, issuing invoices, and tracking unpaid bills—something QuickBooks doesn’t offer. Even though Zoho Books has a free version, it has a $50,000 annual revenue limit, whereas Wave Starter is free without a revenue limit.
Wave earned a near-perfect score in pricing because of its free accounting and invoicing version—unlike QuickBooks Online, which lacks a free plan. Wave’s ease of use makes it ideal for businesses that don’t need complex accounting software, earning high marks for general features.
However, its limitations in A/R and A/P affected its scores. It doesn’t allow creating recurring transactions directly from a bill, recurring expenses, or purchase orders, all of which QuickBooks Online offers. Wave also lacks features like combining multiple checks in a single deposit, issuing credit memos, or adding tracked expenses to an invoice, which are available in QuickBooks.
Wave scored low in banking because of its poor bank reconciliation feature and inability to print checks. While the Pro plan allows bank account connections, the free plan only supports CSV file uploads for banking transactions. The platform’s inventory and project features are minimal, and it lacks robust mobile app and integration options, areas where QuickBooks Online excels, including tracking by classes and locations.
Lastly, customer service is limited with the free plan, offering only self-help resources and an automated chatbot. Upgrading to a paid plan is necessary for email and live chat support.
FreshBooks: Best for Service-based Freelancers
Pros
- Provides an intuitive and user-friendly interface
- Offers excellent customer service
- Features project accounting with a built-in time tracker
- Delivers outstanding invoice customization features
Cons
- Charges an additional fee for adding more users
- Lacks class tracking for income and expenses
- Can’t assign cash receipts and expenses to multiple bank accounts without a bank feed
FreshBooks plans include one user regardless of the plan.
- Lite: $19 per month for five billable clients
- Plus: $33 per month for 50 billable clients
- Premium: $60 per month for unlimited billable clients
- Select: Custom pricing for unlimited billable clients and specialized features
New users get 50% off for three months.
Add-ons:
- Additional team members: $11 per person, per month, in all plans
- Advanced payment options: $20 monthly in Plus and Premium; included in Select
- FreshBooks Payroll: Starts at $40 per month, plus $6 per person, per month
Service providers can easily track time spent on projects and quickly add that billable time to client invoices with FreshBooks, which also has a built-in time tracker, making the invoicing process even more seamless. Everything about the platform is designed for ease of use, which results in some features being fantastic for new business owners, albeit a bit confusing for experienced bookkeepers.
For instance, expenses cannot be assigned to particular checking or credit card accounts. Instead, the system compares entered expenses to all live bank feeds to determine which account the expense was paid from. This is unique among all the bookkeeping software we’ve looked at—including QuickBooks—but makes for a very simple way to enter expenses for nonbookkeepers.
FreshBooks has a solid mobile app that offers many of the same functions as the desktop interface, except for assigning expenses to projects. It integrates with over 70 software programs, earning a perfect score for integrations.
However, its pricing scored poorly because plans are for one user only, with additional seats costing $11 per month. It also took a hit in banking, as you can’t reconcile bank statements without connecting to your bank account, unlike QuickBooks. FreshBooks does offer decent project accounting features, such as comparing estimated costs to actual costs—something QuickBooks doesn’t provide.
It performed well in A/R and A/P but scored very low for inventory. While you can easily set up inventory descriptions, FreshBooks lacks the ability to track the number of items on hand, inventory value, or cost of goods sold, all of which QuickBooks handles, along with class and location tracking and fixed asset recording.
FreshBooks isn’t the easiest to set up, leading to lower scores in that category and customer service. Despite its strong telephone support, it lacks a live chat feature that some business owners prefer. On the positive side, it has solid tax and general reporting features and can track sales tax, though you must manually set up sales tax for each jurisdiction.
Xero: Best for Unlimited Users & Managing Fixed Assets
Pros
- Supports unlimited users for all plans
- Is more affordable than QuickBooks Online
- Offers extensive integration options within the Xero App Store
- Includes a dedicated fixed asset manager, unlike other software in this guide
Cons
- Lacks popularity in the US
- Offers payroll only via third-party integration with Gusto
- Limits the lowest plan to 20 invoices and five bills
Xero has three pricing plans that include unlimited users:
- Early: $20 per month for 20 invoices and five bills
- Growing: $47 per month for unlimited invoices and bills
- Established: $80 per month for unlimited invoices and bills, plus multicurrency, receipt capture, and project tracking
Free trial: 30 days
Xero is one of QuickBooks Online’s toughest competitors worldwide. To compare, QuickBooks Online’s highest plan is $235 per month for up to 25 users, whereas Xero’s highest plan is only $78 per month for unlimited users. If your business doesn’t need QuickBooks Online Advanced but wants more users, we recommend choosing Xero because it is more affordable and has no user limit.
It also has a built-in fixed asset manager that will calculate and track depreciation expense for each piece of equipment automatically. That is something QuickBooks Online can’t do unless you pay for the expensive Advanced plan.
Xero stands out for its general accounting features, earning a perfect score in our evaluation. It also performed well in A/R, A/P, banking, inventory management, and reporting, offering essential functions like adding inventory to invoices and automatically calculating COGS. Xero received top marks for integrations, with over 100 apps available in its App Store.
Xero is more affordable and flexible than QuickBooks Online, with no user limits and the ability to compare actual and budget project costs, a feature QuickBooks lacks. Xero’s fixed asset manager is also unique, handling asset sales and depreciation, something QuickBooks only offers at a higher cost.
However, Xero has drawbacks in customer service, offering only a chatbot, email, and self-help resources. Its advisor network is smaller than QuickBooks’. The setup can be challenging without accounting knowledge, and its basic mobile app only allows for sending invoices and categorizing expenses—not receiving payments or generating reports. For stronger performance in these areas, consider Zoho Books.
Sage 50: Best QuickBooks Desktop Alternative for Multicompany Accounting
Pros
- Provides consolidated financial statements for multiple companies
- Offers competitive inventory management features
- Integrates with Microsoft 365
Cons
- Is only available to Windows users
- Is challenging for users without solid accounting software experience
- Is not a popular choice with limited support in the US
There are three pricing plans, though custom pricing is available for 11 or more users.
- Pro Accounting: $58.92 per month for one user only
- Premium Accounting: $96.58 to $222.25 per month for one to five users
- Quantum Accounting: $160 to $409.17 per month for one to 10 users
You can evaluate Sage 50 by clicking “Take a test drive” on its website, which will allow you to access a hosted version with sample data.
Consolidation of multiple companies can be difficult if performed manually, but with Sage 50, parent companies can consolidate financial statements easily in a few clicks. The software also has advanced budgeting tools and ASC 830/FAS 52 compliance for foreign currency transactions and foreign currency translation.
In our rubric, Sage 50 excelled with its A/P and A/R features as well as for project accounting and reporting, where it earned nearly perfect scores for its ability to assign project costs and set project estimates. It aced our evaluation of integrations because it integrates with over 115 third-party applications in several categories, though QuickBooks Online offers more than 750 integrations.
Sage 50 also scored relatively high for inventory management and customer service, mainly because it is available 24/7 for phone and online chat support. However, it received one of the lowest marks in this guide for pricing because it is more expensive than its competitors, especially if you have more than one user.
It also took a big hit for its mobile app, which can only capture receipts but not send invoices or enter bill payments. Meanwhile, QuickBooks Online received an above-average score for its mobile app. Also, it has a steep learning curve and a difficult setup process, so its score was docked in the ease of setup and use categories, while QuickBooks Online earned near-perfect marks.
QuickBooks Solopreneur: Best for Tracking Expenses for Schedule C
Pros
- Is ideal for tracking personal and business expenses
- Tracks mileage effectively
- Is excellent for invoice creation and tracking
Cons
- Lacks full bookkeeping capabilities
- Is unsuitable for self-employed individuals selling inventory
- Cannot generate financial statements
QuickBooks Solopreneur charges a flat fee of $20 per month.
We included QuickBooks Solopreneur on this list because it is a great fit for self-employed individuals wanting to track income and expenses to report on Schedule C of their tax returns. While still a QuickBooks product, it is completely separate from—as well as much less expensive than—QuickBooks Online. QuickBooks Solopreneur is especially good for individuals without a separate bank account for their business transactions as it has a feature to separate business and personal expenses.
QuickBooks Solopreneur wasn’t fully rated in this evaluation because of its inability to track assets and liabilities. It did score a 2.4 out of 5 in banking, as it offers only basic features like account connectivity and viewing outstanding transactions. Therefore, in our expert opinion, its banking capabilities are quite limited. However, its pricing is very affordable, and the platform includes many useful features like the ability to generate and track invoices, and track mileage.
It recently replaced the QuickBooks Self-Employed product. While similar, Solopreneur is slightly more expensive but offers a vastly improved invoicing feature—which is an important tool for many sole proprietors. It lost some functionality compared with Self-Employed, like transferring your income and expenses to TurboTax. However, Solopreneur is still very new, and we hope that Intuit will restore this feature before the next tax season.
Compared with Solopreneur, QuickBooks Online has many more useful features, such as the ability to track using classes and locations, track inventory costs and units, and determine the COGS. You can also record a fixed asset in QuickBooks Online and assign labor and inventory to projects. The closest solution to QuickBooks Online that offers these capabilities is QuickBooks Desktop.
How We Evaluated the Best QuickBooks Alternatives for Small Businesses
We rated the accounting software on this list based on their capabilities to be a substitute for QuickBooks. Moreover, we included the insights we gathered from our case study to show you what we think about these solutions based on the case study criteria:
5% of Overall Score
In evaluating pricing, we considered the billing cycle (monthly or annual) and number of users.
7% of Overall Score
This section focuses more on first-time setup and software settings. The software must be quick and easy to set up for new users. Even after initial setup, the software must also let users modify information like company name, address, entity type, fiscal year-end, and other company information.
7% of Overall Score
The banking section of this case study focuses on cash management, bank reconciliation, and bank feed connections. The software must have bank integrations to automatically feed bank or card transactions. The bank reconciliation module must also let users reconcile accounts with or without bank feeds for optimal ease of use. Lastly, the software must generate useful reports related to cash.
7% of Overall Score
The A/P section focuses on vendor management, bill management, bill payments, and other payable-related transactions. A/P features include creating vendors and bills, recording purchase orders and converting them to bills, creating service items, and recording full or partial bill payments.
7% of Overall Score
This takes into account customer management, revenue recognition, invoice management, and collections. The software must have A/R features that make it easy for users to collect payments from customers, remind customers of upcoming or overdue invoices, and manage customer obligations through analytic dashboards or reports.
10% of Overall Score
Businesses with inventory items should choose accounting software that can track inventory costs, manage cost of goods sold (COGS), and monitor inventory units.
10% of Overall Score
Service or project-based businesses should choose accounting software that can track project costs, revenues, and profits. The software must have tools to track time, record billable hours or expenses, send invoices for progress billings, or monitor project progress and performance.
4% of Overall Score
In this section, we’re looking at sales tax features. The software must have features that allow users to set sales tax rates, apply them to invoices, and enable users to pay sales tax liability.
4% of Overall Score
Reports are important for managers, owners, and decision-makers. The software must have enough reports that can be generated with a few clicks. Moreover, we’d also like to see customization options to enable users to generate reports based on what they want to see.
30% of Overall Score
Ease of use gets the highest weight in this case study because we want to give more credit to easy accounting software. For this section, we considered customer service, support network, and a subjective expert opinion score. Users must have easy access to customer service channels in case of problems, questions, or assistance.
Support network refers to a community of software users that can extend professional help to businesses. Having an independent software expert perform the bookkeeping is good for overall ease of use. Lastly, our expert opinion score is our subjective rating based on our experience in trying the software.
5% of Overall Score
The software must also have a mobile app to enable users to perform accounting tasks even when away from their laptops or desktops.
4% of Overall Score
We went to user review websites to read first-hand reviews from actual software users. This user review score helps us give more credit to software products that deliver a consistent service to their customers.
Best QuickBooks Invoicing Alternatives
QuickBooks Online is a well-rounded accounting software, but it can be excessive if you’re just looking for an invoicing solution. With that, here are some invoicing software that you may want to pick instead for invoicing alone:
- Invoicera: Best standalone invoicing software
- Zoho Invoice: Best free standalone invoicing software
- Square Invoices: Best for businesses processing infrequent transactions
- TimeTracker: Best for professional service firms
Monthly Pricing | Number of Users | Completely Customize Invoices | Mobile Invoicing | Create Recurring Invoices | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $35 to $235 | 1 to 25 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
 | $19 to $149 | 1 to unlimited | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
 | Free | 1 to 20 | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
 | $0 to $20 or custom | 1 only | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
 | $9 or $15 per user + $20 or $25 base fee | Unlimited | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
Rating Explanation: 5.00-4.50★: Excellent; 4.49-3.50★: Very Good; 3.49-2.50★: Fair; 2.49-1.50★: Poor; 1.49-0.00★: Very Poor | |||||
Invoicera: Best Standalone Invoicing Software as an Alternative to QuickBooks
Pros
- Manage multiple companies with one account
- Includes expense management features
- Tracks staff time and expenses by project
- Supports multicurrency and multilingual invoicing
Cons
- Is unable to track time from the mobile app
- Can be expensive for businesses with more than 20 users
- Limits the number of billable clients per plan
- Starter: $19 per month for one user and up to 100 clients
- Business: $49 per month for 10 users and up to 1,000 clients
- Enterprise: $99 per month for 20 users and up to 2,500 clients
- Infinite: $149 per month for unlimited users and clients
Free trial: No credit card is needed to access the 15-day free trial, and you can upgrade or cancel your subscription at any time.
We selected Invoicera as the best standalone invoicing software as an alternative to QuickBooks because its features can be customized to the needs of your business. It offers a comprehensive set of invoicing features that allow you to create custom invoices, automate recurring billing, manage expenses, and handle multiple currencies.
It provides customizable invoice templates and multiple payment gateway integrations, and it supports various payment methods, making it suitable for businesses of different sizes and industries. However, it has no live bank feeds or other essential bookkeeping features like paying bills or reconciling your account—features that QuickBooks offers.
In our assessment, Invoicera stood out for its invoicing features and customization options. It offers businesses with complex billing workflows the flexibility to create tailored invoice approval processes, allowing team members to efficiently review, authorize, and approve invoices before they are finalized and sent for payment. It also performed exceptionally well in our mobile app category.
However, there is room for improvement. Offering a free plan or discounts for new customers, as seen with platforms like Zoho Invoice and Square Invoices, could strengthen its pricing strategy. Additionally, ease of use remains a challenge, especially since Invoicera lacks robust bookkeeping capabilities without integration with software like QuickBooks Online.
Zoho Invoice: Best Free Standalone Invoicing Software
Pros
- Integrates with Zoho’s other specialty apps, including Zoho Books and Zoho CRM
- Offers project and time management features
- Is free forever with no ads or in-app purchases
- Has customizable invoices
Cons
- Lacks approval workflows for issuing invoices
- Can manage outgoing invoices only
Zoho Invoice is completely free, with no credit card required, no ads, and no in-app purchases.
We selected Zoho Invoice as the best free standalone invoicing software because, despite being free, it offers a wide range of invoicing features that are crucial for businesses. It allows users to create and send professional invoices and supports multiple currencies and tax regulations.
Also, it has a clean and intuitive user interface, and the dashboard provides an overview of key financial information, helping businesses stay organized. The platform may lack built-in accounting features, but it integrates with Zoho Books for bookkeeping capabilities. It also provides a client portal where you can share invoices, estimates, and statements with clients.
Despite being a free tool, Zoho Invoice received high ratings for its invoice customization and overall invoicing features. However, it faced some usability concerns, as it requires integration with Zoho Books to unlock access to accounting features. In comparison, QuickBooks doesn’t require integration and doesn’t have any usability concerns.
Furthermore, Zoho Invoice fell short in terms of customer support, lacking options for direct contact via phone or live chat. If prioritizing robust customer support is crucial, we suggest considering FreshBooks, where you can engage with a live agent directly through phone communication.
Square Invoices: Best for Businesses Processing Infrequent Transactions
Pros
- Offers features for estimates, signatures, and tracking invoices and payments
- Is free to use with predictable payment processing fees
- Is seamlessly compatible with Square’s suite of business tools
- Saves customer profiles and payment information
- Provides the best invoice customization among all providers reviewed in this guide
Cons
- Lacks a built-in expense tracking tool
- Requires a paid upgrade to Square Invoices Plus for some features
- Offers less competitive pricing for high-volume businesses compared with other providers
Square Invoices offers a free and paid version ($20 per month) of its invoicing software. The processing rate for online payments changes based on whether you’re using the base software or the Plus version:
- Square Invoices Free: 3.3% plus 30 cents per transaction
- Square Invoices Plus: 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction
- Square Invoices Premium: Custom-priced
Free trial: Users can upgrade to Plus anytime, and Plus has a free 30-day trial.
Square Invoices is an excellent invoicing solution for smaller businesses and individuals as it is free and easy to use, although it’s not the most robust invoicing solution on the market. It allows you to set up customer profiles with stored payment information and provides automation for reminders and estimate conversions.
We selected it as the best for businesses processing infrequent transactions because while its rates are transparent and predictable, they aren’t the lowest on the market. You can offer your customers flexible payment options, however, including buy now, pay later (BNPL) and ACH processing. Square Invoices also integrates with other Square products, such as Square POS and Square Payments.
Square Invoices aced our invoice customization criterion, as there are many ways to customize your invoices to your needs. It lets you select from different templates, change the invoice colors, edit the invoice fields, and upload your company logo to make your invoice look more professional. It also aced our rubric for invoicing features, pricing, and mobile app. It could have aced customer service if it offered support via email.
It took a hit for ease of use because it is not that intuitive to navigate and requires accounting software integration. In addition, since it is dedicated solely to invoicing, it lacks essential accounting features, such as expense tracking and bank reconciliation. If you’re seeking bookkeeping features alongside invoicing, you might want to check out more powerful software like Zoho Books.
Another consideration is access to a network of experts, which Square Invoices lacks. QuickBooks Online users have access to QuickBooks ProAdvisors. However, Square Invoices offers a BNPL option, whereas QuickBooks Online does not.
TimeTracker: Best for Professional Service Firms
Pros
- Has flexible time tracking with multiple time clock options
- Offers a format for legal invoicing
- Is very easy to use
- Tracks billable hours that have been written off
Cons
- Provides limited payroll integration (connects only with ADP and Gusto)
- Has reports of frequent bugs within app
- Is not for large firms with many employees as it can get expensive
TimeTracker offers two subscriptions. The basic plan comes with employee scheduling and time tracking functionalities, while the premium package has additional invoicing, job costing, expense tracking, and online payment tools:
- TimeTracker: $20 base fee plus $9 per user, per month
- TimeTracker Premium: $25 base fee plus $15 per user, per month
Free trial: 14 days
TimeTracker by eBillity is ideal for lawyers, accountants, engineers, and other professional service firms because it provides an invoicing option integrated with powerful time tracking features. These functions are a good fit for professional service firms since billable hours are the primary item on invoices.
It offers a flexible solution for tracking and managing timesheets, creating staff schedules, billing clients, and monitoring projects. You can also plan project schedules and set employee costs and client billing rates.
Invoices can be generated using data from tracked hours and billable expenses. What’s more, the platform has a client portal where customers can view outstanding invoices, pay bills online, and check completed projects.
What sets this solution apart from other invoicing options on this list is that it can track billable hours that have been written off—a feature that even QuickBooks lacks. A billable realization report shows the billable hours sent to clients versus those that have been written off, which is a crucial report to gauge the productivity of your professionals and the profitability of your firm.
TimeTracker also scored high for its customization features and mobile app. In addition, it allows you to bill your clients directly from time entries and billable expenses—which is great for businesses that offer services billed by the hour or project. To help you speed up payment collection, you can add payment links to your invoices, which your clients can use to conveniently process their payments.
How We Evaluated Invoicing Alternatives to QuickBooks
We evaluated the invoicing software based on its ability to be a substitute for QuickBooks. We included the insights we gathered from our case study to illustrate our findings about these solutions based on the case study criteria.
10% of Overall Score
The most important factor in our pricing score is the monthly cost of the program. However, we also considered any limitations on transactions, vendors, or customers. Finally, we scored platforms that offer a monthly option higher.
25% of Overall Score
A fully customizable invoicing software allows you to upload your company logo, select from various invoice templates, change invoice colors, edit invoice fields, and add personalized messages to customers.
25% of Overall Score
We looked into essential invoicing features, like the ability to create recurring invoices and set up automatic payment reminders.
10% of Overall Score
Along with subjective evaluation by our accounting experts, the ease-of-use score indicates whether the software is cloud-based. Other components include whether it requires a third-party bookkeeping software integration.
5% of Overall Score
A mobile accounting app comes in handy for businesses that need to send invoices on the go.
15% of Overall Score
A good invoicing software must also provide sufficient customer support options for users, like phone support and live chat.
10% of Overall Score
We gathered average review ratings of all providers from leading user review sites.
How to Select a QuickBooks Alternative
When choosing a QuickBooks alternative, it’s important to consider your specific business needs, budget, and desired features. Here are some suggestions:
- Assess your business requirements. Evaluate your business needs and identify the key features you require from accounting software. Consider factors such as invoicing, expense tracking, inventory management, payroll, and reporting.
- Research available alternatives. Look for alternative accounting software solutions that align with your requirements. Pay attention to the features, pricing plans, customer support, and user experience of each alternative.
- Evaluate scalability and flexibility. Consider the growth potential of your business and choose accounting software that can scale with your needs. Look for a solution that offers room for expansion, supports multiple users, and integrates with other software you use, such as CRM or project management tools.
- Consider cloud-based solutions. Cloud-based accounting software offers several advantages, including accessibility from anywhere, automatic data backups, and seamless software updates. Assess whether a cloud-based solution is suitable for your business or if you prefer a desktop-based alternative.
- Compare pricing models. Examine the pricing structures of different alternatives and determine which one best fits your budget. Some software providers offer subscription-based pricing, while others charge one-time fees or have tiered plans based on the number of users or access to features. Consider the long-term costs, including any additional expenses for add-ons or support.
- Consider customer support and training. Evaluate the customer support options provided by the software vendors. Look for alternatives that offer reliable technical support, training resources, and user communities to help you navigate any issues.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
QuickBooks isn’t a one-size-fits-all accounting software. While it is our top-recommended small business accounting software, the subscription cost can be a major factor in why you should look for an alternative. Moreover, its features may be too complex for your needs.
Aside from its features, QuickBooks has a vast network of certified public accountants (CPAs), bookkeepers, and firms that offer accounting support through the QuickBooks ProAdvisor program. This program helps businesses get access to professional accounting help, locally and internationally. You can check out our guide on how to find a QuickBooks ProAdvisor.
We recommend Wave as the best free alternative to QuickBooks because it has a free plan for invoicing and accounting. Read our review of Wave for more information about its features.
Bottom Line
QuickBooks dominates the market for small business accounting—but it isn’t always the best answer, and there are many alternatives to QuickBooks to consider. Depending on your budget, required features, and industry, you might find an option that will meet your needs better.